Moran’s gun control bill faces tough opposition in Congress

WASHINGTON – A gun control bill that’s one of the first pieces of legislation to be introduced in the 113th Congress is likely to face tough opposition.

The bill – sponsored by Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va. – is called the “NRA Members Gun Safety Act of 2013,” but the National Rifle Association has opposed it previously. Moran sponsored similar legislation last year, which was opposed by the NRA and never made it out of committee.

The legislation would require background checks for a gun purchase or to work at a gun store. It also would prohibit anyone on the Terrorist Watchlist from buying a gun, set some minimum standards for carrying a concealed weapon – including training – and require gun owners to file a police report when their gun is stolen.

Moran says more than 600,000 guns are stolen every year.

“These are common sense gun safety measures that the vast majority of NRA members support,” says Moran.

Moran says five of the proposals in his bill have at least two-thirds support from NRA members, according to a poll conducted in May by Republican pollster Frank Luntz and commissioned by the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns.